My name is Yvonne, I am fascinated since years about Buddhism. I finally realized it is what I am looking for in my life and now I am trying to find the right way, how to start, how to find my path to the buddhism. I know there will be some work on myself but I am confident this will work. So in other words, any advice where to start, what to do first, would be highly appreciated.

kgirl wrote:My name is Yvonne, I am fascinated since years about Buddhism. I finally realized it is what I am looking for in my life and now I am trying to find the right way, how to start, how to find my path to the buddhism. I know there will be some work on myself but I am confident this will work. So in other words, any advice where to start, what to do first, would be highly appreciated.

Hi Yvonne.My personal advice is to start getting familiar with the teachings of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche.He very often gives teachings via webcast.

I won't presume to be a great teacher or anything special -- I tend to think I'm not much more than a beginner myself -- but I'll offer a few ideas.

If there are local groups, a temple, monastery, or even just a group of laypeople with whom you could practice, I would get to the task of visiting these places and seeing if any of them seem to suit you. The Buddha once said to Ananda that the whole of the Holy life is admirable friendship. While I imagine we can be a part of that here at Dharma Wheel, there is nothing like having real people who can help you find your way in real-time.

It may be important in this process to decide which school(s) of Buddhism most interests you or is most conducive to your life. This may take some time and be a little confusing -- don't hesitate to ask questions along the way. Buddhism has many very deep traditions that can be challenging to jump into if you're coming from an "outside" culture (just my opinion). Some traditions seem less compatible with others, while again others present few issues. Personally, I am involved with both Theravada and Mahayana (Pure Land) in my practice, but don't really associate too much with the Vajrayana (Tibetan) facet of things -- even though I have great respect for the Dalai Lama and would never intentionally disparage any tradition.

There is also a lot of good reading to be done, both in books and online. If you haven't already, finding a copy of the Dhammapada would probably make a good starter text -- deep and thought provoking, but lightweight and pithy. I'm sure others will come by and offer other suggestions too.

kgirl wrote:My name is Yvonne, I am fascinated since years about Buddhism. I finally realized it is what I am looking for in my life and now I am trying to find the right way, how to start, how to find my path to the buddhism. I know there will be some work on myself but I am confident this will work. So in other words, any advice where to start, what to do first, would be highly appreciated.

The first thing you want to do is to understand and follow the basics: the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, etc. After this, start looking into the different schools, and see which one jives with what feels right to you. This website has a wealth of information: http://www.buddhanet.net/but make sure not to get too overwhelmed with information at first.

"If you want to travel the Way of Buddhas and Zen masters, then expect nothing, seek nothing, and grasp nothing." -Dogen

Thank you so much for all the info. We are stationed in Italy and in my area it is very hard to find anything, mostly you find here catholic or jehovas witnesses but nothing about Buddhism. I got me some books which I will start reading and I found this forum multiple times in my search, this is what made me register here. I really appreciate all your help. Thank you

kgirl wrote:Thank you so much for all the info. We are stationed in Italy and in my area it is very hard to find anything, mostly you find here catholic or jehovas witnesses but nothing about Buddhism. I got me some books which I will start reading and I found this forum multiple times in my search, this is what made me register here. I really appreciate all your help. Thank you

Hello Yvonne,

I'll second alpha's recommendation of looking into Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and the Dzogchen Community. Rinpoche has lived in Italy for some 40+ years and his center Merigar West is about three hours drive from Rome. While he will be teaching there in September, his teachings are almost always webcast for free. You can check out the Merigar West website at:

kgirl wrote:My name is Yvonne, I am fascinated since years about Buddhism. I finally realized it is what I am looking for in my life and now I am trying to find the right way, how to start, how to find my path to the buddhism. I know there will be some work on myself but I am confident this will work. So in other words, any advice where to start, what to do first, would be highly appreciated.

Hi,

Good answers. Every start is a good beginning.

Right from the beginning, if only for a few minutes, start a meditation practice. It can be walking, chanting, prostrations, sitting, even moving such as tai chi, which is not traditionally Buddhist. This might cause you some discomfort initially but later will prove very useful. It will confirm the unruly nature we must all contend with . . .

If she is the type of person who wants to do Tibetan Buddhism, then sure, that's good advice.

But she should also be aware that Tibetan Buddhism has a complicated system of rituals, practices, and obligations which are not present in other Buddhist traditions. And not everybody who wants to practice Buddhism wants to deal with all of this (I certainly don't want to deal with any of this anymore!).

Luke wrote:If she is the type of person who wants to do Tibetan Buddhism, then sure, that's good advice.

But she should also be aware that Tibetan Buddhism has a complicated system of rituals, practices, and obligations which are not present in other Buddhist traditions. And not everybody who wants to practice Buddhism wants to deal with all of this (I certainly don't want to deal with any of this anymore!).

Luke wrote:If she is the type of person who wants to do Tibetan Buddhism, then sure, that's good advice.

But she should also be aware that Tibetan Buddhism has a complicated system of rituals, practices, and obligations which are not present in other Buddhist traditions. And not everybody who wants to practice Buddhism wants to deal with all of this (I certainly don't want to deal with any of this anymore!).

In essence, the teachings of CNNR are nothing like that.

Really? I'd be interested to hear an overview of his teaching method if you feel like describing it in another thread.

I have seen the movie "My Reincarnation," but other than that, I know nothing about him.